


facilitated quietude

by squidmemesinc



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Brainstorm also being a nerd but in a different way, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Other, Perceptor being a nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 17:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11468322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidmemesinc/pseuds/squidmemesinc
Summary: The study throws out quite a few examples of physical contact beyond interfacing facilitating a greater emotional closeness, as well as having beneficial effects on the mental wellness of both participants. The details feel oddly pertinent to this situation.





	facilitated quietude

**Author's Note:**

> More Brainstorm? More Brainstorm. (He's fun to write.) Ah, yeah. I am really not sure what angle to approach Percy with, but I did my best. I need to work on my reread because I pretty much missed him entirely the first time through. Whoops.

It’s been ten minutes since they’d turned off the lights and Brainstorm hasn’t found a comfortable position to be in. Or at least, that’s what his actions indicate, given that he won’t stop flipping about and turning over and curling and uncurling his legs, flapping his wings about, making soft little sighs. It’s extremely noisy and terribly distracting and Perceptor is quickly growing tired of Brainstorm’s incessant shifting around.

“Brainstorm,” Perceptor says delicately, trying not to aggravate him by saying the wrong thing. “Perhaps you’d be more comfortable recharging in your own hab suite?”

“No!” Brainstorm yelps, as if Perceptor’s just struck him. Perceptor had thought this seemingly involuntary reaction might have worn off with their recent cycles of increasing familiarity. They’re sharing a berth, for Primus’ sake. Perceptor’s even given him an appropriate amount of space to be able to stretch his wings out on the slab. This upgraded berth is certainly large enough. There’s absolutely no chance of crowding, and he simply can’t understand the cause for Brainstorm’s discomfort. “Just, er. Feeling a bit restless. Still a little amped up from. You know. Earlier.” Perceptor feels his field prickle against his back as he remembers.

“Typically one _wants_ to recharge after interfacing,” Perceptor replies, digging through his archives for the necessary statistics should Brainstorm try to contradict him, as he normally does.

“Yeah, typically,” is all Brainstorm says. He’s quiet for a bit, and doesn’t actually change position, but lies complacently on his back for a wonderful, silent moment during which Perceptor feels himself being lulled into a false possibility of recharge. He prepares to drop the studies from the forefront of his processor when one of them catches his eye.

“Percy?”

“Mm?” Perceptor has allowed himself to get sidetracked even from his goal of recharge by this study on intimacy, which he’d forgotten he’d saved. He’s mulling over the details in his mind without really heeding Brainstorm. They feel oddly pertinent to this situation.

“Never mind.” Brainstorm shifts onto his side again, his wings folded out behind him. Perceptor can feel his optics running over the seams of the plating on his back, neck, and the mount where his scope usually is, which he’d taken off before getting onto the berth.

The study throws out quite a few examples of physical contact beyond interfacing facilitating a greater emotional closeness, as well as having beneficial effects on the mental wellness of both participants. He’s seen Brainstorm make casual physical engagements with Nautica, or Chromedome. Brushing against them, gently patting a shoulder, leaning in to look at something in their hands and letting his chest rest on their backs. But this had been something he’d never initiated with Perceptor, leaving him to assume he’d prefer not to be touched by him unless they were sexually engaged. This restlessness post-interfacing, though, and the continued pressure of his field tingling at his back...

Brainstorm has always been a bit of a coward. To his credit, Perceptor has always been pretty good at reading his intentions, even when Brainstorm thought he was being discrete and clever. But that had been before their relationship changed. There’s a chance he’s made a bit of a miscalculation. He’d never mistaken his eagerness for reciprocation of his feelings for anything but what they were, but he also hadn’t anticipated that Brainstorm might not know how to conduct himself if that were ever to suddenly happen. As it has.

Perceptor tentatively shifts his own frame back on the berth until he comes flush up against Brainstorm’s chest. He feels Brainstorm tense in surprise at first, then a seeping warmth as his field soaks into him. The other scientist hardly seems less jittery than before, but this time it’s more bubbly than sullen. Perceptor turns himself slightly to glance over his shoulder at him as he grabs his arm from his side and pulls it around his own middle. He catches a glimpse of Brainstorm’s surprised and eager expression, even with most of his face obscured by his mask, before he settles around on his side again and offlines his own optics.

There’s another beat of quiet, but as tempted as he is, Perceptor doesn’t allow himself to believe this is the end of their prelude to stasis. “I knew it,” he says. Perceptor doesn’t ask him what he knew, knowing Brainstorm is sure to tell him. And he does, after a hesitant beat where perhaps he hopes Percy might. “I knew it would take you three weeks and two days to warm up to me. I mean, really warm up, like this. I’ve done all the calculations, based on your personality, your past relationships, your style of—”

“Brainstorm,” Perceptor says, forcing a component of gentleness to his voice. “Recharge.” He moves his hand from Brainstorm’s wrist to thread his fingers into the other scientist’s, rubbing his thumb along Brainstorm’s own in slow, soothing movements, as the study indicated was often beneficial to their participants bonding effectively.

“Hm. Okay. I’ll tell you tomorrow. It’s really very fascinating. You’ll be impressed.” Perceptor squeezes his hand. This time, perhaps, he’d settle. And he does, giving Perceptor a chance to realize his processor is spinning around these slightly foreign sensations.

He’d been aiming to both take advantage of the position Brainstorm had applied to himself, and also accommodate for the bulk of his wings by letting him splay them out behind him perpendicular to the berth, but he hadn’t anticipated the comforting nature of this maneuver—for himself. It wasn’t a factor for his consideration, but he now realizes he’s rarely been in this position himself. The feeling of Brainstorm pressed into his back, his field washing over him with gentle waves of affection and his arm wrapped tightly around his frame are making him feel incredibly secure. It’s not something he can remember having felt many times before.

Perceptor considers this. It seems a logical reaction if only for the illusion of shelter—being surround at multiple faces. Along with the factor of compression, indicating a very secure binding, which would instantiate the conclusion that one could not break out if one tried. He also wonders if there have been any studies on the direct feedback of EM fields into the spine, because it also follows that this could foster—

“Could you keep it down, please?”

Perceptor is jolted from his train of thought. “Excuse me?” He’d let it get away from him as he quickly succumbed to the natural sensation of a hypothesis without realizing it. It’s not an impulse he’s often had to keep in check, but he realizes now the additional activity in his core was causing his fans to kick off on the lowest setting, though he’s supposed to be preparing for recharge. “Oh. My apologies.” He tries to quiet his internal mechanisms by checking his energy levels and verifying that recharge would be more beneficial, even if he were to pursue this line of research. He’ll put it on hold until tomorrow.

“Thought you were getting all amped up for round two. I understand that I have that effect on people, but I’m getting some mixed messages here.”

Perceptor smiles a little, finding it in himself to be genuinely amused, and doesn’t respond. He shifts a little deeper back against Brainstorm’s chest, enjoying this bizarre sensation of feeling protected, even if it’s by a remarkably strange bot who he’s not sure could address threats to his safety any better than a blindfolded Swerve. But he’s found himself growing fond of Brainstorm anyway, against all odds, and this is an experience he wouldn’t mind repeating. Halfway in the throes of recharge, he tugs Brainstorm’s hand up to rest against his chest.

“I love you, too,” Perceptor hears whispered directly into his audial.

“What?”

“Er, I started a cleanup process and it’s bringing up a bunch of fragmented files,” Brainstorm explains quickly. “Nothing to worry about. Going to offline my vocalizer now, so, goodnight, Perce!” There’s a loud mechanical hum as the eccentric scientist hurriedly offlines several processes at once, but after the longest stretch of silence yet, Perceptor loses interest in even this and finally successfully offlines for the night himself.


End file.
